Agenda and minutes

None.

Agreed as an accurate record.

To confirm that items of business marked Part I will be considered in public and that the items marked Part II will be considered in private.

It was agreed that all items of business were considered in public.

To consider a draft of this Committee’s final report on its review into the Impact of a Pandemic in Hillingdon and the Effects on Council Services.

Members were informed that at the last Cabinet meeting on 15 October 2009 an interim report of this Committee was considered which recommended three initial recommendations of this Committee’s Pandemic review. Cabinet agreed the following:

 “That Cabinet ask officers to consider, if feasible, the following initial recommendations of the Corporate Services & Partnerships Policy Overview Committee which relate to their review into the effects of a pandemic in Hillingdon and the effects on Council services:

a)         That a skills and knowledge audit be undertaken of the Council’s workforce to build up a computerised database. This information to include details about staff who have been vaccinated against the swine flu virus, those who have had swine flu, those with children and childcare responsibilities, those staff who were front line staff and those that come into contact with the public.

b)         That enhancements be considered to the Council’s Constitution to provide further contingency arrangements for the decision making processes of the Council, in consultation with the Leader of the Council.

c)         In order to mitigate the impact of a major pandemic, officers ensure that business and continuity plans are in place at all educational and care establishments operating within the borough. This includes but is not limited to playgroups, nurseries, schools, further education and higher education establishments as well as social care homes.”

Members were informed that work by strategic HR was already underway in respect of the skills and knowledge audit. This was to provide a snapshot of the skills currently held by Council staff. The information to be collected would assist in supporting critical services not only during the peak weeks of a pandemic, but also during any other emergency. The skills information would allow the emergency management team to quickly identify staff with appropriate skills to backfill staff absences.

Discussion took place on the other recommendations contained in the draft final report and Members were in agreement with these with the exception that the recommendation relating to prioritising vaccinations, specific reference should be made to teachers and ancillary staff in schools.

Due to the fast moving situation in relation to the present Swine Flu Pandemic an additional recommendation had been added to the report to enable delegated authority to be given to the Chairman of the Committee in consultation with officers to update this review based on any changes which might be required.

Resolved- 

1.      That approval be given to the recommendations contained within this Committee’s final report on the Pandemic and the final report be submitted to Cabinet for approval.  

Members noted that the next meeting of this Committee was scheduled for 20 January 2010. Officers were asked to arrange an extra meeting for early January to enable Members to commence their second review. Subsequent to the meeting this had been arranged for 6 January 2010.

 Resolved –

1.      That the Work Programme be noted.

The Head of Policy attended the meeting and provided Members with details of the work being carried out by the Council and its partners in the Local Strategic Partnership on responding to the economic downturn in relation to businesses and residents in the Borough.

Members were provided with an action plan which had been devised and grouped under the four key LSP themes; supporting residents, protecting the vulnerable, supporting businesses and preparing for the up-turn.

Members were informed that an event had taken place in the Middlesex Suite, hosted by Google which had provided businesses with guidance on how to identify customers. This event had proved very successful and had attracted 230 people.

A general discussion took place on potential areas for the Committee to look at and areas raised included

·        The plight of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the present economic climate and the measures the Council could take to help them

·        What could the Council do to support town centres, particularly in relation to the closure of small shops 

·        The role of Chambers of Commerce and what the Council could do to support them. The possible use of Ward Budgets?

·        What could be done in terms of planning policies  to improve the Borough’s high streets 

·        The support the Council is giving to the Borough’s residents during the economic recession to minimise the impact on the local economy and local businesses

·        The impact of the recession on higher education establishments in the Borough, in terms of the numbers of students who were leaving education and not finding work

·        Looking at the use of Industrial Units and what could the Council be doing to help these businesses

·        The staging of conferences to help businesses, with private sector involvement e.g. “Meet the Buyers” type events.

Members were informed that Hillingdon Partners had put together a “dash board” document which contained information on some of the important indicators on the economy and the recession such as the numbers seeking Job Seeker’s Allowance. This was a document which would provide useful information for a review and highlight the impact the recession was having on businesses and residents of the Borough.

For the next meeting of this Committee officers were asked to submit a draft scoping report around the themes discussed.

Resolved –

1.   That a draft scoping report be submitted to the next meeting of this Committee along the general theme of what support can the Council give to SMEs and residents to help the Borough’s town centres.

Noted.